Summary: Neurodegeneration begins earlier in people with unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles.
Source: Australian National University
Overview: Our daily calorie intake has risen substantially compared with five decades ago—roughly the equivalent of an extra fast-food burger meal each day—and this shift is taking a serious toll on both brain health and body weight, researchers at the Australian National University warn.
Professor Nicolas Cherbuin, lead author of a new review published in Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, explains that declines in brain health can begin much earlier in life than previously believed, largely driven by modern dietary patterns and low physical activity.
“Many people are effectively eating away at their brains by consuming calorie-dense fast food while getting little to no exercise,” said Professor Cherbuin of the ANU Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing.
He and his colleagues found strong evidence that prolonged unhealthy eating habits and physical inactivity substantially increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and accelerate declines in cognitive function, including dementia and brain atrophy.
The review highlights that roughly 30 percent of adults worldwide are overweight or obese, and that more than 10 percent of adults are projected to have type 2 diabetes by 2030. Those conditions are linked to poorer cerebral health and faster cognitive decline.
“The connection between type 2 diabetes and rapid deterioration in brain function is well established,” Professor Cherbuin said. “Our analysis shows that neurodegeneration—the loss of neuronal function and structure—can begin much earlier than we thought, and it is clearly associated with long-term unhealthy lifestyles.”
He warned that the damage is largely irreversible once people reach midlife, so prevention must start early. “The best approach is to adopt healthier eating and regular physical activity as soon as possible—ideally from childhood and certainly by early adulthood,” he advised.
A standard fast-food meal consisting of a burger, fries and a soft drink contains roughly 650 kilocalories—about the extra daily energy intake that people consume now compared with the 1970s. That amount represents about a quarter of the recommended daily energy for men and nearly a third for women, illustrating how modern excess calories can accumulate and harm health.
Professor Cherbuin emphasized that eating too much of the wrong types of foods—particularly fast food—remains a major public health concern. “As a society we must move away from normalizing ‘do you want fries with that?’ and the habit of routinely adding high-calorie sides and sugary drinks,” he said. “If we don’t change these norms, we will continue to see rising rates of overweight and obesity and increasing burdens of serious chronic disease.”
Current public health messages about protecting brain health and reducing dementia risk are often delivered too late. “Most advice about lowering the risk of cognitive decline is offered in people’s 60s or later, when effective prevention opportunities have already diminished,” Professor Cherbuin noted.
“Many people who develop dementia and other signs of cognitive dysfunction—including brain shrinkage—have increased their lifetime risk by regularly consuming unhealthy foods and failing to exercise.”
He urged a life-course prevention strategy: early adoption of balanced diets and regular physical activity represents one of the most effective ways to lower the chance of preventable brain problems later in life. Implementing these changes will require coordinated effort from individuals, families, healthcare providers and policymakers.
The ANU review synthesised findings from around 200 international studies, including long-term data from the Personality & Total Health (PATH) Through Life project in the Australian Capital Territory and Queanbeyan, which has tracked brain health and ageing in more than 7,000 participants.
Source:
Australian National University
Will Wright – Australian National University
Image Source:
The image is in the public domain.
Original Research (open access):
“Sugar in mind: Untangling a sweet and sour relationship beyond type 2 diabetes” by Nicolas Cherbuin and Erin I. Walsh. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology. DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2019.100769
Abstract
Sugar in mind: Untangling a sweet and sour relationship beyond type 2 diabetes
This review recognises that type 2 diabetes (T2D) represents a major global health burden and examines how metabolic changes linked to T2D influence brain health. Evidence shows that T2D is associated with impaired cerebral health, cognitive decline and dementia. The review focuses on how progressive metabolic changes before clinical diabetes—such as elevated but non-diabetic blood glucose levels—may contribute to neurodegeneration. It also evaluates how key risk factors for T2D, including obesity, diet and physical inactivity, modify these effects. Where possible, findings from animal and human studies are contrasted and sex differences in risk and outcomes are highlighted.